BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Online Government Contracting Degree Programs (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Key takeaway: Government contracting (CIP 52.0202, Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management) is the FAR-and-DFARS degree: how the government buys, how contractors bid and perform, and how protests and audits work. American Public University sells a bachelor’s. The CIP is small. In IPEDS 2024 only 14 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions, all of them at schools that also report distance education. In IPEDS 2024, 14 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 14 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). Compare accredited programs below.
Purchasing agents (the old 13-1023 title) are not published as a standalone detailed occupation in the May 2025 OEWS national file used on this site. Wage figures use purchasing managers, management analysts, compliance officers, and logisticians as the tracked occupations that actually do this work.
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Careers and Wages for Government Contracting Graduates
Median annual wages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Individual outcomes vary.
Median annual wage for the highest-paying government contracting careers. Source: BLS OEWS. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Highest-paying government contracting careers. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025 release)
Occupation
Median annual wage
Purchasing Managers
$148,080
Administrative Services Managers
$114,130
General and Operations Managers
$105,770
Management Analysts
$101,860
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
$83,050
Logisticians
$82,320
Compliance Officers
$80,730
Cost Estimators
$78,740
</> Embed or cite this chart
Copy this code to embed the chart (a link back to this page is included):
Projected job growth (2024-2034) for government contracting careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Fastest-growing government contracting careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections (2024-2034)
Occupation
Projected job growth (2024-2034)
Logisticians
16.7%
Management Analysts
8.8%
Administrative Services Managers
4.6%
General and Operations Managers
4.4%
Purchasing Managers
3.1%
Compliance Officers
3.0%
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
3.0%
Cost Estimators
-4.2%
</> Embed or cite this chart
Copy this code to embed the chart (a link back to this page is included):
Purchasing ManagersSOC 11-3061
$148,080Median annual pay
Median hourly$71.19
Mean annual$156,360
Employment (US)84,320
Pay range (25-75%)$115,550 - $182,270
Management AnalystsSOC 13-1111
$101,860Median annual pay
Median hourly$48.97
Mean annual$113,790
Employment (US)898,280
Pay range (25-75%)$77,950 - $133,370
Compliance OfficersSOC 13-1041
$80,730Median annual pay
Median hourly$38.81
Mean annual$88,400
Employment (US)417,070
Pay range (25-75%)$61,280 - $109,010
LogisticiansSOC 13-1081
$82,320Median annual pay
Median hourly$39.58
Mean annual$89,730
Employment (US)251,040
Pay range (25-75%)$64,440 - $106,190
Business Operations Specialists, All OtherSOC 13-1199
$83,050Median annual pay
Median hourly$39.93
Mean annual$93,970
Employment (US)1,087,090
Pay range (25-75%)$62,640 - $114,010
Administrative Services ManagersSOC 11-3012
$114,130Median annual pay
Median hourly$54.87
Mean annual$129,870
Employment (US)263,960
Pay range (25-75%)$86,460 - $157,420
Cost EstimatorsSOC 13-1051
$78,740Median annual pay
Median hourly$37.86
Mean annual$85,390
Employment (US)224,220
Pay range (25-75%)$61,150 - $101,850
General and Operations ManagersSOC 11-1021
$105,770Median annual pay
Median hourly$50.85
Mean annual$134,940
Employment (US)3,503,020
Pay range (25-75%)$72,320 - $167,280
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
The degree does not confer a warrant as a contracting officer. Warrants are issued by the agency after training and experience on the job. It is also not supply chain management, which is the private-network version of buying and moving goods.
A government contracting degree covers federal acquisition regulation, contract types, cost and pricing, subcontract management, ethics, and a contract-file capstone. Purchasing agents (the old 13-1023 title) are not published as a standalone detailed occupation in the May 2025 OEWS national file used on this site. Wage figures use purchasing managers, management analysts, compliance officers, and logisticians as the tracked occupations that actually do this work.
Can I earn a government contracting degree online?
Yes. In IPEDS 2024, 14 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 14 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
Is government contracting accredited?
There is no programmatic accreditor. NCMA’s CPCM/CFCM credentials are voluntary professional certificates. Institutional accreditation is the academic check. The Federal Acquisition Regulation is public; the degree is how you learn to work inside it.
What do government contracting graduates earn?
Purchasing Managers The national median annual wage was $148,080, with the 10th percentile at $92,490 and the 90th at $223,280 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 83,500 in 2024, projected to grow 3.1 percent through 2034, with 6,400 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary by employer, geography, and experience.
